Hollywood's Finest
by Lina Girl
Summary: A series of shorts and drabbles from Hollywood U. Multiple characters may be used, but an emphasis is on Professor Thomas Hunt and the MC. Rating may change depending on future chapters. Thanks for reading!
1. Adventure of a Lifetime

**Author's Note: My first story in a really long time. This is more therapeutic for me than anything, as a coping method for a bad breakup. I may change some of the stories to make them shorter or longer as they come, but for the most part these are musical drabbles. If you notice any errors, grammatical or factual, please let me know so I can make the corrections for you deserving readers :) Thanks for reading!**

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Song: Adventure of a Lifetime, by Coldplay

She tugged him by the hand as they ran under the sprinklers on the lawn by the Administration building. Classic Hollywood movie love scene, she knew, but it was a classic for a reason.

"You better keep up because I'm not leaving you behind!" she exclaimed, giggling as the nearest sprinkler caught the back of her neck with droplets of cold water.

"Please remind me why in God's name we're doing this?" his eyes wild as he tried to zig zag away from the water and keep his grip on her at the same time.

"Pfff ask yourself why not instead!" she laughed, purposefully moving closer to a sprinkler on her right, her long black hair trailing behind her, contrasting with her white long-sleeved blouse.

"I can think of ten reasons – ah!" he shouted as a sudden wave covered him in droplets of cold water. He blinked his eyes and tried to wipe his face off when he suddenly felt the ground beneath him taken away and his chest hit the wet grass. He heard her cry out as she fell in front of him, her hand letting go of his hand. He lifted his head from the grass to see her stand up just as suddenly and start waving her arms and running straight for the nearest sprinkler.

"What are you doing!" he shouted at her, standing on his feet quickly and giving chase.

"I lied! I'm leaving you behind!" she called back, twirling and letting wave after wave of droplets hit her as she ran into each sprinkler.

"God dammit," he mumbled under his breath as he ran after her, the fear of being left behind scaring him more than reasonable. Though he couldn't deny, his heart beating in his chest as he ran just slightly towards the nearest sprinkler, that he hadn't felt so alive in a very long time.


	2. Goodbye My Lover

**Author's note: Sleepless nights bring more frequent chapters, haha. Thank you again for reading!**

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Song: Goodbye My Lover, by James Blunt

"Please don't do this"

"What do you want me to do? There's no other choice left"

"There is always a choice! There's always more than this!"

"You know our time has run out, we can't keep doing this anymore –"

"It has been three years of this and you want to end this right here? Right now?"

"Of course not, I never wanted this!"

"What did any of this mean to you? Tell me what it meant to you!"

"Everything! It meant everything and more!"

"Then why! Why do this now, here, after all this time, you give up now?"

"You saw the way they looked at us! Like we were injured, sick, ripe for the taking. I want so much more for you than this, and if we end it now we can still make it out alive-"

"That's not what I want, we've been doing this for too long to go back, no matter what's happened. We can still come back from this and if not we can push through! We did this together, let's come out of this together."

"Neither one of us is going to make it out alive at this point, it's done, as soon as those animals looked at us the way they did, we both knew we were done-"

"The hell we are! I get a say in this too and I'm not letting this go!"

"We don't have a choice! We never had a choice! Not when we met, not when we were thrown in that studio together overnight, not when Bianca chased us down and not now! Our choice was taken away from us the moment we met and now we're both done for!"

"Why, why do you keep doing this? We can't be done, it wasn't supposed to end this way, it wasn't!"

"There was never any other outcome for this."


	3. Romeo and Juliet Theme

**Author's Note: Thanks for still keeping up with these little shorts, it means a great deal to me. I'll try to come up with some lighter fluff in later chapters. Please again let me know of any errors, grammatical or factual. Thanks!**

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Song: Romeo and Juliet Theme, by Nino Rota

Her body was still, her hands clasped in a silent prayer just below her breasts. Her head was lifted by a small white pillow, and her black hair had small roses a soft pink woven in delicately. The dress they had chosen for her was the same shade as the roses in her hair, and trailed down past her ankles. The material just reached the ends of the white flat slippers she wore on her small feet. A white glittery layer of delicate lace covered the pink underneath. The long sleeves and high collar were also of lace, and covered her neck and arms. Her eyelids were closed, showing the light purple that shaded them from her sleepless nights, worrying over assignments and studies. He realized that those worries were no longer relevant at this point.

He'd never seen her look so… at peace.

He walked around her somberly, his eyes dark as he took her in completely. The way her hair fanned around her face and reached all the way down past the curve of her waist, seemingly endless in length and in its black color. The fullness of her lips could be observed now that they were closed, her nose small and slightly curved, something many girls (Bianca included) had envied when finding out that she had never had any work done to achieve such a shape. Her lashes were a little too long, the mascara that had been applied just a touch out of place on her full face. Her expression was soft, the most calm he had ever seen it. It made him uneasy, and he felt unfamiliar with her.

He walked around her and observed the outfit they had chosen for such an occasion, knowing very well that this was not a color she would have picked for her herself had it been up to her. Though she looked as beautiful as she could as she was, he too would have chosen something to her liking if he had the power. Of course now, he saw no use in voicing that concern.

He wanted to reach out and touch her, to feel her skin under his fingertips as he had felt them before so many times. Part of him wasn't brave enough to, and he was frustrated with himself for that. He wanted to sweep her hair away from her face as he had done so recently, it felt like yesterday. He knew it wasn't appropriate, that it wasn't right, but at this point did it matter?

Those small and delicate hands, hands that loved to create and paint and tap against whatever surface was nearby as she contemplated further decisions and tasks at hand. Those small hands that fit so well with his, like they had been carved from the same stone and were meant to only by held by the other. It was the thought of never holding those hands in his again, feeling those small hands touching his cheek when he most need reassurance, that finally had him speak.

"Alright, that's enough. We'll rehearse this scene tomorrow with Benjamin in its entirety. Your assignment is to re-watch Romeo and Juliet again, and please keep this scene in mind when you watch Olivia Hussey's performance!" he had to shout the last line as he noticed students slowly beginning to pack their belongings before he could finish. Benjamin jumped at the last word before nodding and walking backstage to change out of his Romeo costume, and the rest of the class finally relaxed into cleaning up the set.

"I hope I played a convincing dead woman," he suddenly heard from behind him. She sat up and stretched her arms above her head, making it known how uncomfortable it had been to stay as still as she had for so long.

"Just about," he muttered, trying to hide the shudder that nearly escaped him as he tried to get the idea of her eyes permanently closed out of his mind. As she stepped off the pedestal carefully with Addison's help, he walked away from the set towards the nearest restroom, trying to shake the images of her lifeless body out of his head.


	4. No Air

**Author's Note: Thanks again for reading! Any errors, factual or grammatical, please let me know. Happy New Year's Eve!**

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Song: No Air, by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown

"Turn that crap off," he growled, reaching his hand towards the volume dial. She quickly slapped his hand off the dial and gave him a look.

"Let me indulge a little, I know you like wine and cake," she answered back before leaning back in her seat, humming again with the pop tune. Though he wanted to retort something back about this being his car and therefore he was in control of the music, he knew they'd only get into an argument and they'd end up slapping each other's hands back and forth across the car stereo. Like other times, he let her have her, in his opinion tasteless, song.

"Wine that's aged and gourmet cakes," he muttered under his breath, turning left onto his familiar street. They were coming back from another drive-in movie date, this time having watched the black and white "Phantom of the Opera". It was an enjoyable evening, with the two of them sneaking kisses in between the film. Normally he would have expected more outrageous behavior (their last stint almost got them kicked out of a theater for indecent behavior), but this time she had merely kept her kisses quick and swift, returning her eyes to the film playing and keeping her hands to the nachos shared between them. He wasn't sure if it was the nature of the movie, something that had happened before that he wasn't aware of, or just that this was a film that engrossed her more than he knew about.

As he turned into his driveway, he could still hear her humming along with the male singer as both singers began to solo and sing as they pleased, no longer singing the lyrics. The song was reaching its end.

When he finally pulled into his garage and the door closed behind him, the song slowly faded to an end. He looked over at her and noticed a change in her eyes.

"Why do you like this song?" he suddenly asked her without thinking. She turned towards him, noticing the hint of concern in his voice. She offered him a small smile and took his hand to hold it in her own.

"Did you hear what the two were singing about?" she asked him, looking him in his eyes.

"Truthfully, I was more thinking about the present path that both of their careers have taken. Is it something I should have payed attention to?" Normally he didn't concern himself with "hints" and "cues", as they were both pretty direct with each other for the most part. There were no guessing games between them, or having to figure out what the other was thinking. Being honest and straightforwardness was something they both prided themselves on, even if they were both a little too blunt sometimes.

"I mean I didn't specifically ask you to listen to the lyrics, but what they sing about is pretty generic, with sappy lyrics," she smiled, squeezing his hand. He looked down at his hands clasped in hers and then back at her eyes.

"I didn't take you for a pop-song person," he scoffed, and she instinctively narrowed her eyes at him.

"Like I said earlier, wine and cake. It may not be good for my ears but I'm not going to lie about the crappy music I like." She stuck her tongue out at him lightly, and her age showed for the fraction of a second. Sometimes he forgot that there was a ten year difference between them, but it was moments like this when he unwillingly remembered.

"Hey if you want crappy music I know some artists from the 70's I could introduce you to," he retorted, rolling his eyes. Of all the people she could listen to, Chris Brown and Jordin Sparks was something he considered even beneath her.

"Shush, I've seen your private Spotify playlists. Your cake is German chocolate from Ralph's," she teased, smiling wider when she saw his eyes suddenly lock with hers.

"That is private!" he cried out, worried at what she had seen.

"Now I know what CD's to get you for Christmas," she laughed, and though he always loved hearing her laugh, right now he was trying to control the blush creeping up his neck as he mentally ran through his "shower" playlist.

Noticing how flustered he was becoming, she leaned forward and pressed her lips lightly to his. Against his own will he closed his eyes and kissed her back, taking his hand from hers to press it against her cheek softly. He knew that it was her way of reassuring him of one of his many little secrets, and he was secretly grateful for that. He was beginning to feel warm when she pulled away gently, keeping his hand on her cheek. They opened their eyes and looked at one another, smiling at the foggy windows.

"We should go inside, we can't be in your car forever," she said, almost coyly as she gathered her purse and coat and opened the car door. He was left watching as she left the car and walked to the house door, unlocking it with the key he had given her. Suddenly realizing what she meant, he quickly took his keys, leaving his coat and other belongings in the car to catch up to her. He was a man of composure most of the time, especially in his classroom and with his students. But with her, he was almost anything but composed.

He slammed his car door and made his way quickly to the door where she suddenly pounced on him, attacking his neck with kisses. He let his head tip back before remembering to close the door behind him.

"Should we go to your "shower" playlist and start with some ABBA?" she teased. Before he could protest, he suddenly felt his knees go weak as she pressed her lips along his jaw.

"You…" he muttered, no longer capable of scowling as she undid the buttons on his white collar shirt. He brought her face up to his after she let his shirt fall to the floor and kissed her hard, vaguely remembering something about "living in a world with no air" or some nonsense.

He tangled his fingers into her thick black hair, pressing his lips against hers as he had so many times before. She sighed into the kiss and ran her fingers lightly down his back, leaving goosebumps on his skin. As she took his hand and led him to his bedroom, he took note of the curve of her waist under her red top and jeans. Her small bare feet, her sneakers having been shed long before they entered the hallway to his room, led the way against the navy carpet beneath them. The words "took my breath away" echoed in his mind as they entered his bedroom, and before she could move further he pulled her into his arms, holding her by the waist and tipping her back onto his bed.

He hoped that it would be a very long night.


	5. The Whisperer

**Author's note: Thanks for keeping up with the story so far. Reviews and criticisms are always welcome (and they help keep an author going) also.**

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Song: The Whisperer, by David Guetta ft. Sia

She was able to quiet his demons when the stresses of work made him want to quit everything and leave Hollywood behind. Even if she didn't know it.

Sometimes he would be at his desk, looking over endless pages of names and faces, dates that went on until next year, spreadsheets of people with potential and others who only had a marketable name and nothing else going for them. How was he going to fit in all these phone calls into 24 hours and still manage to live a life at 21 years old? He still had homework and assignments, he still had to eat and spend time with Addison and Lena and Lisa and Holly. He still had to find the time to drop by the "Kingdom Come" set, smile at the progress that Lena had made, assure her that more Emmas were within their reach, and build more connections for her so that his star on the rise would have the best future. He still had to make phone calls for his other clients, work on _their_ careers in Hollywood while simultaneously building his at the same time. All of that on a diet of ramen and red bull.

He was close to burning out sometimes. There were days where he would close his eyes from the pounding in his head that became too much after some client of his would end up changing their Hollywood U major, or a social media mishap would make it's way to TMZ and there would go his client's future. Damage control wasn't beyond him, but he certainly didn't need a phone call at 3:48 in the morning asking him to help hide illegal drugs in a penthouse bathroom.

He would mask the insanity behind his work by pulling on his Prada shades, the ones with the darkest tint, and by showing a little more teeth than usual when he smiled that slick smile of his. That cucumber eye treatment he saw in a YouTube video also did wonders for preventing dark circles under his eyes. Still, it wasn't enough to fool her. If she looked carefully enough, she would see it on his worst days. He noticed that she was beginning to catch it more and more easily, and he realized he wasn't trying as hard to mask it in front of her.

"Ethan, when was the last time you slept?" she would ask him, and before he could answer, she would be off to get him a cup of water and a Tylenol for the headache, a cup of chamomile tea in the other. He noticed that she was beginning to have the packs of headache medication in her purse ready by the dozen, much to his embarrassment. Before he could assure her that he was fine when he really wasn't, she would sit with him wherever there was a spot, be it a bench nearby on campus, or a soft patch of grass walking by a park (though he was weary of whatever suit he was wearing at the time), and massage one hand while he sipped his tea with his free hand. She wouldn't ask what made him stay up all night, or pry for details over which client was taking up the most time at that moment. She would simply massage his hands and fingers, sometimes his wrists if he really needed it, and let him know with her eyes that he was doing a great job and would keep doing wonders for his clients.

It was these tiny breaks that she created in his schedule that kept him going sometimes.

Even when she didn't appear at the right time, even if she somehow messaged him after he had a small meltdown in his dorm, his strained eyes staring holes into the paper in front of him as he tried and tried to form a comprehensible thought after a straight 24 hours awake, it still kept him going. Her reassuring smile and gentle blue eyes seemed to tell him more than just "it'll be alright". They told him that it was okay to lose it sometimes, that if he ordered an espresso shot in his refresher at Starbucks that it wouldn't be the end of the world. Her eyes would tell him that what he was doing with his life was worth every migraine and sleepless night because he would make it out alive in the end, even if he himself didn't believe it.

No amount of VIP passes to the most exclusive parties in Los Angeles, nor the number of times he drove her to the airport when her mother's health suddenly required her attention could ever make him feel less indebted to her for her kindness to him, the unknown rookie in Hollywood. Unfortunately for him, he realized her importance in his life after he started representing her. He knew exactly what would happen if he crossed that professional line. For now, it was those cups of tea and headache medicine, those gentle hands on his own as she massaged his fingers and smiled at him that kept him going.

Right now, as he sat in his dorm room going over another client's entourage list, he picked up his phone to see a message from Addison.

 _"Need any tea and Tylenol?"_

 _"Meet me at the bench near your dorm in five?"_ he responded.

 _"I'll see you in a bit :)"_


End file.
